The pandemic has forced many of us to go online. With the increase in cyber activity, online crimes have also spread. We’ll take a look at some of these cybercrimes in today’s article. For more information, we encourage you to read the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 or Republic Act 10175 and its implementing rules and regulations.
First on our list, are offenses that affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer data and systems. An example is Illegal Access, which happens when a person, without right, accesses a computer system. The term without access includes going beyond the authority given. Hence, if one person is allowed to access a specific folder that person cannot look into another.
Another example is Data Interference. This happens when a person intentionally or recklessly alters, damages, deteriorates, or deletes a computer data or electronic document or message. Again, this must be done without right.
The use, sale, importation, or distribution of a device, including a computer program, adapted primarily to commit any of the offenses mentioned in the law is also punishable as Misuse of Device. The action must be done intentionally and without right.
The next category is computer-related offenses. This refers to forgeries committed using a computer. An example is Computer-related Identity Theft, which is the “intentional acquisition, use, misuse, transfer, possession, alteration or deletion of identifying information belonging to another, whether natural or juridical, without right.”
Another example under this category is Computer-related Fraud, which is the unauthorized “input, alteration or deletion of computer data or program, or interference in the functioning of a computer system, causing damage thereby with fraudulent intent.”
The third category is content-related, which is Child Pornography.
Other crimes include Cybercrime squatting, which is the acquisition in bad faith of a domain name, Cyber Sex, and Cyber Libel.
